Seva

Dear all, please, do not be confused with the click bait-y title – there is a reason for it. Russians (and surely other post-Soviet countries and Russophone communities world-wide) love Olivier Salad. It is to us as Christmas pudding to British, as turkey with stuffing to Americans, as pilaf with dried fruits to Armenians. A truly uniting dish. Everyone from Putin to my grandmother loves this salad. But here is the point – we've lost its original recipe. Wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivier_salad) says the authentic recipe is unknown which is true. But we've got one lead – the earliest published recipe in the Russian magazine Наша пища (Nasha pishcha, "Our Cuisine"). It says that the chef Olivier himself ordered a Cabul sauce for his infamous salad from a British food company – Crosse & Blackwell. Our small community of food historians have every reason to believe it was true. But here's the catch. The company had been divided (as far as I've found online) between The J.M. Smucker Company, Princes Group and Tiger Brands. And now it's hard to reestablish the old recipe. We've tried to reached the Smucker's (apparently, not the smartest move, because the Princes Group sounds like a more logical move to make, but what's done is done) but got nothing. We passionately wish to acquire those old recipe or a list of ingredients of Cabul sauce which is mentioned in our food historic books. Maybe any of you have some connections in Princes Group and could possibly assist us in any way? Thank you! (P.S. Yes, I know about this French version here http://www.careme.us/glossary_repertoire_sauces.html#cabul_sauce, but we would like to be sure about the authenticity).

I'm trying to find some beautiful (or ugly, doesn't matter much 😜) mobile apps where one can not only order a beverage (checkout the Blue Bottle app – it's very neat), but also choose some customized cup of coffee. Say, I wanna this blend, full-city roast, almond milk and a doughnut on top (ok, maybe without a doughnut). Any ideas who provides such great service? Thanks a lot!

We use fusilli. And the good news I think (fingers crossed) I've cracked that thing. The reason for pasta being too dry to most tastes was because it was par-boiled not enough. When I decided to ask our manufacturer to extend the amount of time it stays in water (from 30 sec to 2.5 / 3 / 4 min) it went out just fine. I mean I almost broke down and cry today (we've spent pretty much time trying to understand what the heck was going on)

Actually, yes, it does depend on the culture, buy what I'm talking about is not me tinkering with the pots and some two days old sauce. We are talking about common (I guess) technology of producing frozen pasta fresca (fresh) which is initially made, par-boiled and then frozen to be delivered on sight in the restaurant where it would be defrosted in the walk-in during night and then (when it's ordered) it would be filled with toppings and cheese and get in the conveyor oven. So basically we have absolutely no control over the cooking time whatsoever

My name is Seva, I'm working as a R&D manager in Dodo Pizza company, the biggest chain in my homeland btw. What we do you already know if you ever step foot in any fast-food point restaurant in the world – pizza, sides (pasta, wings), something for a sweet tooth, drinks. Not much of a novelty. The hardest part comes though when something needed to be fixed: ss with the latest (and my current project) issue with 'pasta is too dry'. I ran a series of quick consumer research to get that nasty insight and now together with our vendor we are trying to fiddle with the dryness – what if it loses moisture during freeze storage, what if it needs raised hydration, what if our conveyor oven destroys the last bit of all water and the list goes on. As for a little introduction: I've been working for three years in the professional kitchen (yeah, not much, but still know something about preparing food for 12 hours in a row) and then got a little hand injury, not a big deal, but doctor told me to stay out of the kitchen for a month. That turned my life into another, more scientific, channel. That's when I picked up Harold McGee, Heston Blumenthal, Nathan Myhrvold. I read everything I could get my hands on: from Cooking for Geeks and Ideas in Food to more scientific-y Dave Arnold and alike. I also admire the history of foods and the futuristic outlook of MIT for instance. Now I'm a big fan of industrial food production. I'm taking only first steps here, so if there is anything I must read, please, suggest. Also if you know why the heck is our pasta feels dry to the end consumer, please, comment 🤔😊 Also I know something about Russian traditional foods, history (right now I'm digging into constructivist factory-kitchens – famous buildings of Soviet era) and modern cuisine. Well, every question is welcome.